


Catra enjoys reading for fun, who knew?

by ketchupmaster987



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Post-Canon, bookworm catra, i just love catra so much okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ketchupmaster987/pseuds/ketchupmaster987
Summary: Growing up in the Horde, Catra never learned about the concept of reading books for fun. When she chances upon Brightmoon's library during a nocturnal wandering, she finds out that reading for fun is actually really nice.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 168





	1. Catra finds the library

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally just a headcanon that popped into my head right when I woke up this morning. I found it super adorable and I hope you all do too

It was the middle of the night and Catra was taking one of her habitual "nobody else is up and I'm super restless so I might as well explore this massive castle" strolls around Brightmoon. Even after almost a month in the place, there were still sections she hadn't yet charted. Thank goodness she had a remarkable sense of direction, otherwise she would probably have gotten lost in the labyrinth of halls and rooms long ago. Padding down the corridor, she kept a mental map of her route so she could find her way back again. Although she wasn't really paying attention to anything in particular, she did somewhat enjoy looking at all of the intricate details in the stone walls, that were rather unremarkable looking at first glance but became far more interesting the more you looked.

As she made her way down a rounded section of corridor, repeating patterns of stars and planets were interrupted by a large set of ornately carved doors. _Must be a big room behind these big doors. I wonder what's inside,_ she thought to herself. Giving in to her natural curiosity, she pulled them open as quietly as she could manage.

The doors led into a massive oval-shaped room, with a high ceiling supported by decorative arches. The entire space was lit dimly by a bunch of glowing orbs that floated at regular intervals around the room. Even though the lights were not at all bright, presumably because it was almost 2 AM, Catra's night vision was strong enough that she could make out the entirety of the room with little difficulty. The curved walls that stretched high into the air were split into several different stories by a series of balconies, connected on each level by a staircase at the back of the huge room. At first, they appeared to be covered in some kind of enormous tapestry with an odd colorful geometric pattern of rectangles of different sizes laid out in rows. But as Catra kept looking, she realized that the walls were not decorated with tapestries, but instead were shelves of thousands upon thousands of books. She had never seen such a large quantity of printed information in one place before. The Horde did most of its record keeping digitally, and whatever paper files they needed were often kept in small disused offices. Just above a few of the shelves she also noticed labels, that read things like "fiction", "geography" and "history". _They have an entire section dedicated to stuff that isn't true,_ Catra pondered. _Are princesses really that dumb that they can't figure that out on their own?_ Based on how some of the members of the Best Friend Squad acted sometimes, she decided it wasn't unreasonable to answer that question with a "probably". In the center of the library was a cluster of circular tables next to another area that seemed to contain several massive cushions that appeared as if they were meant to be sat in. As was usual for Brightmoon, everything in the room was so clean it almost seemed to sparkle even in the dim light.

Heading further into the room, Catra was only half-surprised when one of the floating orb lights drifted from its place near one of the tables to begin following her, just above and behind her left shoulder. _That's actually pretty nifty_ , she admitted to herself. She then made her way around the room, skimming book titles as she went. "Magical Traps, Nets, and Snares" read one title. "The Official Tiny Food Cookbook" read another. Although the titles were mildly interesting, Catra didn't really feel any urge to actually pick up and read any of these books. She'd always learned better from doing something herself, not studying some dusty old textbook for hours on end. Having given the first floor shelves a decent inspection, she decided that libraries weren't really her thing, and sauntered off back to Adora's room to try and get a bit more sleep.


	2. Catra doesn't know what fiction books are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At dinner discussion turns to books and Catra finds out you can read for fun

The Best Friend Squad was having dinner as they normally did in Brightmoon's dining hall. Today's dish was something called "veggie burgers", which they were serving for the Meatless Monday as part of a regimen that Perfuma had set up. Although the flower princess wasn't at the castle to enforce this rule, Glimmer had insisted they do it anyway, to "try something new" and "broaden their horizons". Catra didn't quite understand how you could make vegetables into something that was supposed to be made out of meat, but as it turned out they tasted basically the same as regular burgers, so she ate without complaint.

Adora, always so polite, asked Glimmer, "These are great. Where did you learn how to make these?"  
  
The pastel-clad princess responded, "Oh, well, normally Perfuma helps make these, but since she's off in Erelandia right now, I had to get a recipe book from the library."

Catra decided this would be a good moment for a witty comment. "You have such a large library, I don't know how you find anything in there".

Glimmer looked at the catgirl slyly. "Oh, so you've been to the castle library?"

The tone of Glimmer's voice suddenly made Catra feel incredibly embarrassed, like having visited the library suddenly made her "uncool".

"I was just exploring the castle, okay, it's not like I actually needed to find some information, plus I don't even like studying from books anyway," she said hurriedly.

Adora did one of her cute little snort giggles at this. "Awww, it's okay if you were reading, I'll still love you."

Catra felt her cheeks warm at this, and she smiled. It was only a few seconds though that her need to appear cool and unruffled asserted itself. "At least I don't need to use the section of books about all the things that aren't true."

Glimmer, Bow, and Adora all gave her a confused look.

"...you know, the fiction section?"

Suddenly, Glimmer burst out laughing.

"Oh Catra, that's not what fiction books are."

Now it was Catra's turn to look confused.

"Fiction basically means not based on real life. Like fantasy and mystery and thriller books. You know, books that you read for fun."

Catra did not become any less confused after this explanation.

Bow let out a little noise of anguish. "Didn't you ever read for fun in the Horde?"

"No, not really. The only reading we ever did was training manuals and supply ledgers."

"Then how did you entertain yourselves? No scary stories? Nothing?"

Catra scratched her head as she reflected. "Mostly, we just hit things. But there were a few spooky stories the older cadets would tell to the younger ones who were having trouble sleeping,"

"like the story of the Weeping Princess" Adora interjected.

"yeah, like that, but that was verbal, so I don't think it really counts." Catra finished.

Glimmer got an excited glimmer in her eyes. "Oh, there are so many good books that you NEED to read."

"Well, reading doesn't really seem like my kinda acti-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Glimmer had grabbed her hand and *poof*ed her into the library, right in front of the fiction section she had scoffed at the night before.


	3. Catra somehow actually really enjoys reading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra tries reading for fun and it turns out she actually likes it

Catra clutched her stomach as the Brightmoon library tilted and swayed around her. The pretty gold letters that spelled "Fiction" left little golden trails as they moved. Glimmer let go of her hand, and gesturing at the massive shelf in front of her, let out a triumphant "Ta-dah!".

"Urgggg..." Catra groaned. She didn't think she would ever fully get used to Glimmer's teleports.

Glimmer noticed Catra's expression, and immediately became apologetic.

"Oh, shoot, sorry, I keep forgetting..."

All Catra could muster in reply was a short nod and an "mhm".

Once her vision had steadied, she stood up straight and looked at the immense selection of books in front of her. "So... uh... got any recommendations?"

Glimmer's face lit up. "Okay, one I think you'll like is..." and then she began talking at such a rapid pace Catra could hardly understand her. She teleported to and fro, thankfully leaving Catra standing where she was, rapidly grabbing books from the shelves and depositing them in a growing pile next to the catgirl. Catra just stood there stunned as she watched the flurry of motion. Thankfully, the onslaught of books ended, and Catra was left with a sizable stack of literature, which she and Glimmer each took half of and deposited on one of the tables in the middle of the library.

"Come! Sit!" Glimmer insisted as she plopped herself down in one of the cushiony-looking chairs. Catra hesitantly followed suit, with a soft rustling sort of noise she sunk into the chair discovering that it moved and felt like it was full of some sort of small pellets, or possibly beans. It was actually remarkably comfortable, and as she shifted in the chair a quiet purr began to rumble in her throat. Glimmer grabbed a book from the top of the pile, handed it to her, and then retrieved one of her own, sitting back down with a soft whump.

 _Okay, here goes nothing_ , Catra thought to herself, as she opened her book to the first page. At first, tracking the words felt a bit tedious, but as she continued to read, she began to build a clearer and clearer picture in her head of the story that was unfolding, until it didn't feel like she was reading at all, but instead that there was a movie playing in her head. She became so engrossed in the experience that she didn't even notice when Adora and Bow came into the library, or when Adora pulled up a bean bag chair right next to hers and rested her blonde head on Catra's shoulder reading a book of her own.

She only became aware of her surroundings after she had finished reading the last line of the final page of her book, turning to see Adora snuggled up next to her, reading as well. She then became aware that she was purring, very loudly, but embraced in the warm high of finishing her book, she could hardly feel self-conscious about it.

"Hey Adora," she said softly.

"Hey, Catra," Adora replied, just as quietly.

After this, Catra would frequently spend her evenings in the library, just sitting and reading with her girlfriend by her side. She proved to be a voracious reader, as if she was making up for all of the years of her life she had never been able to do such a thing. Sometimes, she would even let Adora just read to her as they basked in each other's company, although this often ended with Catra falling asleep purring like a motor. Reading became an important activity for Catra, not only as a nice way to pass the time but also as a way to relax and unwind when she was feeling particularly tense or anxious.


End file.
